Tails of Team Seven
by Taisi
Summary: Returning from their mission with the document they'd been sent for, Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura find out about the strange animal jutsu sealed on the scroll...but by then it's a little too late. NaruHina
1. Prologue

**This is an idea that struck me randomly one night when I was at Mimi's house...-ponders- It seemed like a good fic plot...**

_Prologue_

"Oy! I found it!" Naruto yelled, flapping an arm wildly. Sasuke and Sakura glanced over, both covered in about eight different layers of dust, and then picked their way carefully to where he sat.

They were in a tomb that appeared to have been built before the discovery of the modern tree; bookshelves lined the walls, from floor to ceiling, covering in dusty volumes of scrolls that were as brittle as rice paper, and all the more frail. Sasuke took the paper from Naruto, who tried to stand, but toppled forward instead; he threw his arms out in front of him just before he hit the powdery earth, saving all the papers that lay perilously beneath him.

_"Nar-u-to!" _Sakura berated him at once, reaching down to grip his arm. "Don't _do _that! You could've damaged those documents!"

"Meh," Naruto muttered, dusting himself off. His once blonde hair was now a gray; he made a mental note to drown himself in a river once the mission was finished; he had a feeling he still wouldn't be able to get all the dirt out.

They glanced at Sasuke, who began rolling the fragile parchment up. "Okay, good work. This is it." He cast a glance at his teammates. "Let's go."

Naruto grinned widely and Sakura giggled, nodding. "Awright, home and _ramen!"_

"_Take a shower first, idiot!"_

"I wus gunna!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and took a step, then froze. Behind him Sakura kept on talking, but Naruto paused, eyes trained on the scroll. Then the blonde boy shrugged and looked at Sakura again, who'd not wavered in her speech of eloquence. Sasuke glanced from him to the scroll without moving. Naruto was cheerfully arguing with the pink-haired girl, but there was a slight trace of suspicion in his eyes.

Sasuke glanced back down at the scroll in his hand. Then he shook his head. _Whatever. _Turning around he called, "Sakura. Get over here and take this."

Sakura obliged, handling the brittle document carefully, sliding it into the pouch she'd been given for this particular purpose. "Well, I don't understand the importance of an old thing like this," she said softly, making sure the bag was buttoned. "But at least everything's over."

---

Tsunade smiled at Team Seven as they reported to her. "Did you get the document?"

"No, we came back without it," Naruto snapped, earning a rap on the head and a rebuke from Sakura. Sasuke ignored them and reached into Sakura's bag, withdrawing carefully the requested papers and handing them to Shizune. Sakura blushed and faced front again, leaving Naruto to rub his head, sniffling.

Shizune layed them before Tsunade, who glanced over them briefly and nodded. "You nabbed the right one. Good job, Team 7. I'd expect nothing left." Her smirk made Sasuke frown. He waited for Naruto's expected drawl, but it didn't come. Sakura blinked, nonplussed, and glanced to where the blonde had been standing; her shreik made Sasuke's hand fly to his kunai, Shizune start, and Tsunade lean forward in her chair to see why.

Naruto's orange jumpsuit lay in a pile on the floor, sandals discarded as well. Sakura crouched and prodded at it, jumping back again when the mass of orange moved. A small black paw protruded from the folds of cloth, followed by another, and two deep burgundy eyes, flecked with scarlet, stared out at them.

"A...a fox?"

A few minutes later found Sakura squealing and hugging the orange, black-pawed fox kit (complete with a little bushy tail, black on the end), cooing about how adorable he was; the fox was squeaking and trying to get away before he met his death of suffocation. "Naruto, you're so cute!! You should just _stay _this way, for_ever! _Kyaaahhh, so cute!!"

Sasuke was silent, staring open-mouthed at the scene. _How the HELL did that happen?! _he thought furiously, mind racing. He probably would've thought a little longer if he hadn't felt something very strange at the top of his head, his hearing suddenly enhanced. He reached up slowly to where two black cat ears were sticking up out of his raven feather locks.

_...Shit._

**YAY!! Sasuke-kun and Naruto-kun are **_**changing!! **_**Don't worry, Sakura-teme will too. -sigh- I hate her...Anywho! I hope you liked the prologue...Please review!!**

**Mom, if you're reading, please ignore the cursing.**


	2. Tail 1

**Hey, thanks for all the reviews, guys! The site didn't send me an alert for any reviews, so I thought no one had read this humble little fic, and I was going to delete it. But my faithful account data showed 11 reviews. E3 Whooo, for data! And there's **_**slight, **_**maybe implied-sort-of-somewhat NaruHina, but it's way too early in the game for Naruto-kun to fall in love with Hinata-chan. Time will tell, though...-conspicuous suspicious shifting of the eyes-**

**  
And **_**thank you all **_**for correcting my grave little naming error. I feel like a complete **_**dobe, **_**because as soon as I posted that prologue, and went to school, I remember suddenly that Kisame is the dude I'm constantly berated about calling "fish-dude". Brought back memories. ANYWHO, Shizune it is. ...Right? It's Shizune, right?**

**ALL OF YOOOOOUUUU!!! There is a story by Reaper Nanashi called Door Number Two. **_**Read it or face my everlasting wrath!! I will rain death upon your miserable cursed souls!! WUAHAHAHAHAHA! **_**Ahem. Yeah. It's pretty good.**

**Disclaimer: This is going to be a problem, isn't it?**

_1 Tail_

Hinata looked down at her tiny burden. The little fox was curled into a ball in her arms, purring ((do not question me!!)) against her heart. She tentatively raised a hand and stroked its small head, giggling when it craned its neck back to lick her hand. She hugged it all the more closer, rewarded when it didn't try to squirm away.

Tsunade watched the timid genin with a smile. "Do you like him, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata blushed brilliantly and bowed. "O-Oh, yes, Hokage-sama." Hinata's blush deepened. "He reminds me of Naruto-kun."

Tsunade let no expression cross her face as she replied, "Really? I can see how that may be." Tsunade reached out to pet him, and yanked her hand back when it snapped at her. Shizune smothered giggles. Hinata could have sworn that the fox smiled; its lips curled back devilishly, tongue protruding from its little mouth ((_nyah, nyah!)). _Tsunade scowled at it, and then looked back at a rather confused Hyuuga. "So, what will you call him?"

"Uhh, umm, y-yes," the girl glanced at the little creature in her hands; it met her gaze, eyes sparkling with human-like intelligence. It rubbed it's head against her hand, and mewed in its throat. Hinata smiled at the small encouragement, and suddenly felt brave enough to speak. "Konaru." _Ko...Naru. _

"Konaru?" Tsunade hid a smile behind her buisnesslike nod. "Okay. I wonder if, on your way back to your estate, could you send for Inuzaka Kiba, and Yamanaka Ino?"

"Kiba-kun? Ino-san?" Hinata blinked, realized her dubious silence, and bowed hastily. "A-Ah, yes, Hokage-sama!"

---

Kiba inspected the sulky white dog he'd been assigned to with an expert's eye. It was fluffy, _cuddly _even, and it made him sick. Nonetheless, he was never one to let a dog down because of it's appearance; the dog currently balanced on his head and neck was proof of that. Said dog was currently sending a glare down at its new rival. It's rival was bigger than it, but not by much.

Kiba met the Hokage's eyes without a word. "What am I supposed to do with it?"

Tsunade smirked. "Think of it as a mission, eh? You protect it until it's owner is feeling well enough to retreive it." Seeing the master dog genin roll his eyes, she continued, "This is not something to take lightly, understand?" She immediently regretted her severe tone; the dog master's eyes tightened with suspicion. Nevertheless, the boy nodded, and then bowed.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

As he walked out the door, passing Ino on her way in from where she'd been waiting in the hallway, Tsunade caught the muttered, "Conspiracy."

---

Ino was ecstatic.

Her new cat was not.

"Kyaahhhhh!!!" She picked the animal up so quick it had no time to do anything but arch it's back and snarl. Then it was crushed to her bosom. "YOU-ARE-SO-CUTE!!"

Tsunade watched, bemused, as the cat attempted a fury-swipe-of-doom with its razor sharp claws, only to find it couldn't move. "Ino," she said after a few moments of watching the oblivious blonde girl nearly strangle the struggling feline, "before you suffocate the animal, could I tell you that your job is to keep it safe?"

If Tsunade had been hoping to relieve Sasuke of at least a little pressure that she was sure was building around his windpipe, she was dissapointed. "Oh, of _course, _Hokage-sama!! I'd love to! I'll make sure _nothing _happens to him!! I sure will miss him, though, when his owner comes back for him!!"

The Gondaime was almost afraid to ask. "What will you call him?"

"Kosuke-chan, of course!" _After my darling, beloved Sasuke-kun!! Uwahh, my eternal love it yours forever! _((She's lacking creativity; with Hinata-chan it's alright, cuz Hinata's awesome. Ino's a _teme._)) "He'll be my closest companion, you'll see! Thank you, Hokage-sama!"

As Ino swept enthusiastically out of the room, Tsunade could see Sasuke glaring at her over Ino's shoulder.

_I'm sorry, Sasuke. There was no where else for you to go...at least there you'll be taken care of...I hope..._

"Jiraiya," Tsunade drawled suddenly. Shizune blinked, and jumped slightly when she saw the hermit crouched in the window as if he'd been there the entire time. "I need you to find a release jutsu--to countereffect another."

Jiraiya smirked, and Tsunade rolled her eyes: he'd been waiting for her to ask. He'd probably already started looking for it anyway, and had he found it would'nt have produced it to her unless asked directly ((or unless Narut..._Konaru _and Sas..._Kosuke _got their claws on him))."You got it."

---

Naruto gazed around at his new accomadations.

Big. _Very _big. Humongous, even.

Then again, he was a puny runt of a fox, so it was probably about five times bigger than it should have been. Hinata set him down, telling him softly that he could explore while she got him some food.Naruto licked her hand in acknowledgement, and took to the task. After an hour had passed, he knew every nook and cranny of the entire estate, and also had a full belly.

When the light had gone from the sky, and the night was suddenly upon them, Hinata set down her book, and untangled Naruto from the curtains, smiling when he batted at her hair. "Come, Konaru," she whispered in her breathless voice. "It's time for bed."

She set him on the bed in her room, kneeling to fix a warm bed of blankets and a pillow on the floor under the window. Neji, much to Naruto's surprise, stopped in to tell the timid Hyuuga good-night before lights-out. When she glanced up, the little fox had curled into a tight ball on her pillow. She blinked, and then giggled. "Alright," she murmured, climbing in next to him, laying her head beside him. "But only for tonight, okay?"

Needless to say, that became Naruto's designated sleeping spot.

---

It had been a few weeks since she recieved her pet. They went through the same routine; breakfast (for some reason the little mammal ate ramen), a walk around the estate, Hinata's daily chores (Konaru draped himself around her neck during these, loudly voicing his boredom), and then the missions. Team Eight (that's Hinata's team, right? Eight?) didn't argue with her bringing the fox on the missions; Kiba couldn't complain much, because he had his own familiar, and Shino didn't care either way. ((Kiba left Sakura at home: we'll get into that next chapter.)) In both cases, the genin thought that having the little fox with her would calm her nerves, so they welcomed it. Kiba did find it imperitive he dissect the mammals name, just for the sake of seeing his only female teammate blush.

---

She woke up to shattering glass.

There was a man in her room, huge and menacingly sillouted against the lightning that flashed across the sky. Hinata gasped, too startled to activate her Byakugan, and saw the man reaching for her. Either he was strong enough to be so bold, or an idiot, because he was unhesitant in his actions. Hinata drew her blankets up to her chin, eyes widening as her mouth opened in a silent scream.

But suddenly the man was stumbling backwards. Konaru had sprang into immediate action, lunging at once for the jugular. He was tearing into the man's throat, snarling like a beast far larger than he was, burgundy eyes burning. Blood spilled from the man's throat, and he flailed, trying to bat the small creature off him. Though he was being pummeled, hit repeatedly in the head, the fox's grip never wavered; if anything it grew stronger with each passing second.

When Neji burst through the bedroom door hardly a minute after the man broke in, Konaru's snarls had weakened to a low rumbling growl. Once Neji assured Hinata the man was...detained, she rushed over to his side, knelt and picked up her charge. His breathing was weak, his heartbeat fluttering; she was afraid to use her eyes to look in and see the problem. Instead, donning her coat, she called on her way out the broken window, "Neji-niichan! I'm going to see the Hokage-sama!"

---

Tsunade watched in amusement Ino run into the room and slam the door behind her, locking it; then glancing around at all possible enterances, as though to ensure nothing could slip in.

Then, leaning in close to the Gondaime, she whispered, "_That cat's trying to kill me!"_

Barely covering a snicker, Tsunade kept her face composed. "I'm sure you're exaggerating."

"No, I'm _not! _He sits there and _glares at me _no matter what I do! He attacks me if I come within a five foot radius of him! He won't even eat what I feed him, he sneaks out and goes hunting!"

Before Tsunade could reply, the door opened again, and Hinata ran in. She clutched her coat in her arms, bundled around something. "Forgive my intrusion, Hokage-sama," she whispered breathelessly, "but please--please, can you help my Konaru?"

Tsunade stood at once, rushing over to Hinata's side. _Damn you, Naruto, _she thought tenderly, rubbing a healing hand down the slumbering creature's spine. It's breaths eased and it's heartbeat evened, and she returned it to Hinata with a smile. _Somehow, you find trouble even when your a foot tall._

**Okay, very bad chapter, I'll admit. Chappie two: PARANOID AKAMARU!! YES!! WHOOOOOT!! And we'll delve a little deeper into Ino's cat problems...**

**  
Anything you want to see happen in the fic? Gimme some ideas, I might use 'em! **

**Review!**


	3. Tail 2

**Awright! I love all of you people for your reviews!! -hugs the review page tearfully- I-It's just so awesome...!! Anywho, this chapter includes a paranoid Akamaru, a murderous Sasuke, and an anonymous enemy shinobi, who **_**might **_**have something to do with the animal jutsu effecting our favorite Team Seven.**

**Note: Hibiki means echo, sound, reverberation or noise.**

_2 Tails_

Akamaru glared at her.

She glared back.

Kiba stared at them both, wondering how the hell he'd gotten himself into this mess. The fluffy white dog was a whole lot more trouble than it was worth; it demanded to be washed--in _buttermilk, _no less--everday, and combed, and walked, and pampered and fawned over until the dog genin was ready to hurl it into the river and be done with it. When he deglected a single thing on the dog's pampering list, she would howl and yowl all night, pitching such a fit that his entire family would wake up and take turns drawing different solutions to the problem: the family's favorite was his father's idea, to dump the annoying mammal into a bag and throw it off a random cliff somewhere.

He named her Hibiki.

Hibiki proved to be the most annoying dog on the planet. In fact, this prissy puppy made Hinata's prank-pulling fox and Ino's homocidal feline look like innocents.

Akamaru whined, wriggling over into Kiba's lap. Kiba smiled, stroking him. Akamaru, on the other hand, was the greatest dog on the planet. Who could ask for a better friend? The little white puppy nosed Kiba's cheek, and the boy pushed his snout down, muttering, "What's gotten into you, Akamaru? Hibiki's just a temporary visitor--why don't you go...uh...make friends with her." He set the smaller white dog on the ground and gave it a gentle shove towards Hibiki.

It was a good thing his sister called him at that exact second, or he would have caught the glare given to him by his _dog._

---

"Konaru-chan! Don't go too far!"

Theday was slightly cooler than normal, and dark clouds loomed in the sky; the air was heavy with the promise of rain, and all was strangely quiet as wiser animals began to seek shelter. All of this was lost on Konaru as the little fox as he raced out of sight into the trees; had he not been so excited, he would've sensed the approaching storm, and gone back home, even urged Hinata back into safety. As it was, he playfully began snapping at leaves stirred up by the breeze as they blew around him.

Hinata stared after him helplessly, calling his name several times, before quieting. Neji had warmed her not to leave the village--or the estate, if she could help it--after the attempted kidnapping. Hinata danced anxiously from foot to foot; when she could no longer see the fox, and it became clear that he was not coming back any time soon, she darted around the side of the house and into the rest of Konoha.

If she couldn't go after Konaru, she'd find someone who would.

---

Kiba had his own pet-sitting problems to sort out. Somehow, Akamaru had chased Hibiki into the refridgerator, and refused to let her come out. Soon after, Kiba found Akamaru tied up in the laundry hamper. That was all he'd had time to tell Hinata at the door--disshelved and panting--before he glanced over his shoulder, yelped and stumbled around. "No! NO! Stop! Don't touch that! DON'T--" The lights went out. Kiba kind of wilted where he stood, and Hinata was willing to bet he was ready to start crying.

Hinata sniffed the air gingerly. "U-Um, K-Kiba-kun? Is something burning?"

Kiba twitched, back still to her, and looked over at something that Hinata couldn't see. _"You! _Where's the other one?" Kiba looked back at Hinata. "Er, one sec." Then he ducked out of view, yelling, _"_NO! OUT OF THE KITCHEN!! _DON'T PUSH THAT!" _There was a distinct crash and several yelps, only half of which were animal. "_FIRE!! _ONEE-CHAN!! ONEE-CHAN, THERE'S A FIRE!! _PUT IT OUT!!"_

Hinata decided to leave after that.

No luck with Shino, either. His mother told her that he and his father were looking over a new clan of bugs that had taken over the garden in the backyard. Hinata almost ran away after the hurried goodbye. She frowned, biting her lip. Team Gai was on a mission; she couldn't ask Neji, Lee, or even TenTen. Naruto's team was gone, too, but Tsunade wouldn't give anyone any details. Kakashi and Jiraiya got fidgety when asked and poofed away to random places to do their "work".

It was as she was debating her problem, that she stopped in front of Ino's house. She paused. True, the blonde girl was an ally, but she was loud and aggressive, and _scary. _A drop of rain hit Hinata's cheek as she hesitated, and slid down her face to drip off her chin. She glanced at the sky. It was dark, clouds full and ready to conceive a storm.

---

Despite Hinata's earlier misgivings, Ino could be quite diplomatic when she wasn't trying to show off. Hinata found herself being graciously invited inside, and offered tea. As it so happened, Hinata didn't have time for pleasentries. Ino was startled when the usually shy Hyuuga loudly declared her delimna. Beside Ino sat the black cat--the one to whom she'd been assigned--Kosuke.

Hinata couldn't help but notice the way his eyes intelligently followed the conversation; or, as she said goodbye to Ino (who had to watch the shop while her mother was out), thanking her anyway for her time, how he slunk out the back and sprinted off in the direction of the forest.

Hinata, unsure what to make of this, watched him go, wondering whether or not she should draw Ino's attention to this. Ino merely sighed, and propped open the back door a few inches. "Stupid cat," she muttered, with a trace of concern.

Hinata lingered in the streets, looking around desperately for anyone's help. Suddenly, the light drizzle turned into a heavy downpour, and Hinata gasped as she got caught in the icy downward river.

She found herself on the very of tears. _Konaru!_

---

She made it to the estate, just as the rain really began to come down hard; lightning flashed across the sky, and hail pelted the roof. By this time, Neji had returned, and refused to let Hinata out in the storm. She begged, pleaded, even rose her voice, but nothing had any effect. (Or so she thought...) Neji's eyes widened when his cousin brought a hand up to rub at her eyes, and noticed for the first time the stream of tears flowing unhindered down her cheeks. She turned and ran down the halls of the estate, leaving Neji alone with a gnawing ache in his stomache that seemed to grow with the silence.

---

The storm showed no sign of letting up. After about an hour had passed, she stood; she couldn't take it any longer. Waiting had broken her heart, and she'd gnawed her fingernails down to bloody nubs. _I'll find you, Konaru-chan--forgive me for making you wait. Just hold on...!_

She opened the door--and came face-to-face with Team Gai, and her own comrades, Kiba and Shino. Ino and her team was there as well. Kiba grinned at her, Akamaru on his head under his hood, and Hibiki tucked under one arm, and Shino nodded.

_"If one of your comrades suddenly went missing, wouldn't it break your heart?"_

There was no way they'd let Hinata fall because of the absence of a certain red fox that the entire village--though some wouldn't admit it--had grown found of.

Hinata's eyes strayed to Neji's. Her cousin spoke quietly, seeming to look through her as he did. "You're fox didn't come back. We should go look for him."

It took a moment for Hinata to realize what he was saying. _Neji-niichan...called everyone over, in the storm...to help me look for Konaru-chan...Everyone's here to help! _She threw her arms around Neji without thinking, crying, "Thank you, Neji-niichan!"

He didn't return the hug, but he was smiling when she pulled away. "Let's go; you're familiar has waited long enough out there."

---

They searched for hours and didn't find him.

Hinata had to be almost dragged back from the forest, and Ino was nearly hysterical (Kosuke hadn't showed up either). Everyone returned to the Hyuuge estate with a pit in the bottom of their stomach. Stepping out of the painful rain, they were greeted by warm tea and towels. Hinata obediently picked up a cup, and wandered to the window, setting it on the floor, out of the way. She sat on the sill and looked out over the violent storm. She felt tears in her eyes; _I've failed him. Even after he saved my life...I...I..._Even her thoughts were muddled.

A towel fell over her head, and she looked up to see her team. Shino's was gently ruffling her hair with the towel, and Kiba knelt and deposited Hibiki on her lap. "Hibi's been really worried too," he muttered quietly.

Hinata tried to smile as she pet the little white dog. Hibiki wriggled anxiously, licking at her fingers, before pulling away to paw at the window, whining piteously. _My boys are out there, _Hibiki tried to convey to the humans. _Both my boys are out there--I need to help them! _(None of the shinobi had any way of knowing that the three animals to whom they'd been assigned to watch were all friends with one another. -sigh- That might have made things easier.)

Hinata glanced back at Kiba, who was zipping Akamaru into his jacket, so the puppy could curl up against his chest, snug and warm. Shino's bugs were returning to him from their fruitless search of the estate, hiding themselves away in the folds of his clothes. _They know what it's like...to have a pet...you love more than anything. _(I don't think she loves Konaru more than Naruto--kind of awkward--and Kiba more than Shino knows how it feels to have a strong affection to a pet. -pointed stare at Akamaru-) "Kiba-kun...Shino-kun...I...I'm so scared!"

Shino slowly slipped an arm around her shoulders, and Kiba hesitantly took one of her hands in his. "It'll be okay," Kiba said lamely, neither he nor Shino having experience with crying girls; neither of them liked girls at all, but had made an exception for Hinata, since she was so quiet and giving and helpfull--not loud and obnoxious. So they came to accept her as a comrade, and then slowly as a very good friend. To see her cry wrenched at them in a way nothing had before. "He'll be okay."

Ino, likewise, had collapsed against Shikamaru, who had awkwardly put his arm around her; he blanched when she leaned against him, and looked to Chouji for assistence. Chouji, who'd been patting her on the back, shrugged helplessly. (A/N--I like Temari/Shikarmaru. Just thought I'd tell you.)

---

As soon as the storm let up, everyone left. Hinata's team lingered longer than anyone else, and Kiba left Hibiki with her for "emotional support" (I'm sure he'd be enjoying his peaceful night's sleep with his favorite, number one puppy Aka-chan.). Neji stayed with her all night, watching the light rain, and led his shattered cousin to her room. He bade her a goodnight, and began to close the door behind him.

"Neji-niichan..."

Neji paused, not turning around.

"Arigato."

He hesitated again, before nodding and shutting the door.

Hinata lay for a long while without moving. Her breathing was slow and deliberate. She was scared, and cold. Konaru wasn't there, in the hollow made by her shoulder and neck, sleeping soundly with her in the bed despite the No. 1 rule of the house, which was to stay off the furniture; Konaru wasn't there to ward off assassins, to scare away nightmares, to comfort and protect. Sure, Hibiki was there, curled up at the foot of the bed, but it wasn't the same.

He wasn't there.

She was surprised to find more tears leak out of her closed eyes; she thought she'd cried herself out. _Konaru-chan...please...please don't be gone..._

A light scraping at her window made her blink open her eyes. At first her thoughts were muddled, and then panicked; _Oh, no! Another assassin? I should call Neji-niichan--_

But then the sound rang familiar in her mind. She paused, listening intently. The sound stopped, and then started again, with renewed vigor. Hibiki sat up, sniffing the air; then she started barking wildly, and lunged for the window. Hinata followed, stumbling out of bed, and wrenched the window open violently.

Kosuke strode elegantly into the room, a limp Konaru dangling from his mouth (Kosuke was carrying him like a mama cat would her kitten. /\./\ SO KAWAII!!!). Hibiki ran circles around him, and he ignored her. He jumped lightly onto the bed, and curled up around the wet and shaking Konaru; Hibiki jumped onto the bed after him. Mind still numbed, she was unsure whether or not to pull the dog away from the feline and fox--thinking Hibiki would, like, attack them--when the white dog curled up around them both, warming their wet fur.

Immidiently, the three animals were asleep, calmed and comforted by each other's presence. Little Konaru, in between the two, stopped shivering and snuggled in closer to his sorces of warmth.

Neji crashed into the room a few seconds later, Byakugan activated, to find his cousin sleeping with a blissfull smile on her face, holding close to her a black cat, a white dog, and a little fox.

**More of a filler chapter...I had fun naming puppy-Sakura...XD I hope you keep reading! **_**Review, please!**_


	4. Tail 3

**This chapter is going to be very short, but that's just something you're going to have to live with. -sigh- Oy.**

**READ MY PROFILE.**

**It explains some things about the next two weeks--and how there will be NO UPDATES FOR TWO WEEKS because of camp. Okay? **_**TWO WEEKS. **_**Please be patient, though. I've got a bad habit nowadays of staying up all night to finish a chapter on a story, all because I have access to a computer. Oy. Sleep beckons...**_**NO. **_**I will finish this!!**

**And in case you're wondering, I'm hoping for "9 Tails".**

_3 Tails_

He smiled over the evident handiwork; he knew who to give the credit to. Team Seven was virtually helpless, locked in cutesy animal forms. They're chakra was at bay--currently idling in their wielder's bodies, building up and becoming strong; if they were to find a way out of the jutsu before the plan was executed, there could be problems. The fact that they burned up less chakra by doing the smallest things--leaping onto dressers, pulling down curtains, crawling under the couch to eat in private a stolen article of food, chewing on their host/ess's slipper--because their bodies were so much smaller, they would not be as depleted as was necessary for them to be overcome.

_We have to keep them as animals. If not--well, the plan was expected to fail in the first place. I'm not sure how, but the Boss managed to convince someone who knew someone who knew someone who knew someone who knew someone who lived in Leaf to ask Tsunade to retrieve a certain document. It was also a miracle that he made the only available Team Seven. How he called away the rest of the young shinobi I'm not quite sure, but he did. Now that the team is rendered helpless, it's only a matter of time--days, even hours--until the three Genin are retrieved from Konohagakure and escorted by the Boss's men to our humble abode._

_It's only a matter of time. _

---

"Konaru-chan!" Hinata called, pulling her sandals on. She paused, listening for her favorite little sound, and found it; the pattering of soft, near soundless paws down the hallway, and soon after the excited panting of the little fox as it raced into view around the corner. She smiled and held an arm up, as though to accept landing from a bird in flight; instead of a bird, Konaru raced up her leg and leapt for his favorite perch. She smiled, nuzzling her face into his, and then called, "Neji-niichan! We're going to head out!"

There was a shouted consent from some random place in the house, and Hinata took off.

When they reached Ichiraku's, Hinata ducked inside and seated herelf at a stool at the very end of the counter so Konaru would be out of everyone's way. She was surprised at how crowded it was; Ayame took her order before anyone else's with a smile.

When they recieved their order, Konaru yipped a delighted thank you (what else would it have been?) and dove into his bowl of noodles, succeeding not only in nearly drowning himself, but also splattering half the broth on the man sitting next to them. Hinata gasped, pulling her fox out of the bowl and drying him off with a napkin. "I-I'm so sorry!"

The man turned to look at her; her breath caught in her throat. His handsome face was framed by delicate locks of golden-blonde hair--his blue eyes sparkled as he chuckled, cocking his chopsticks against his bowl in a way that so reminded the timid Genin of Naruto she had to remind herself to breathe. "Enthusiastic little fella, isn't he?" the man said kindly, helping her to mop up the mess her charge had made. Said mammal was currently slurping up his chicken-flavor ramen, a hum vibrating from his chest as he lapped at the remaining broth. "He really likes his ramen."

"A-Ah, yes," Hinata said, still flustered. "U-Um, you don't have to help, sir, I-I'll get it. I'm so sorry--"

"It's really no problem," he replied smoothly, dumping the yellow-soaked napkins into the wastebin after giving them a healthy sniff. "I'm a ramen-obssessor, too, I know it's like to get a bit too carried away."

They talked for a while, neither noticing Konaru's sudden silence, the way his amber eyes examined the stranger's face with more intelligence than some human's show.

When it came time to depart, Konaru entagled his class on the man's jacket and yowled piteously. "I-I think he's taken a l-liking to you, sir," Hinata said with a soft smile.

"Well that goes for both of us." Konaru went completely still when the man rubbed a finger down his back, eyes shut as he warmed to the touch. "Listen...Hinata, was it? I'm looking for a boy...around twelve years old. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and...whiskers?" He made pawing motions at his face. "His name is--"

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata blinked, not paying attention as Konaru leapt aroung in play with several village children behind them. "Why are you looking for Naruto-kun?" _Is he going to try to hurt him? Naruto doesn't tell anyone, but I know--the villagers hurt him. If this man is trying to, I won't tell him anything, I'll report him to Tsunade-sama, and she'll throw him to the ANBU--_

"Oh, you know him?" The smile was relieved, and not in the least bit menacing. "Well, he's close kin. Family. I wonder if--"

"You...you're related to Naruto-kun?" she whispered softly. "Naruto-kun has family?"

The man smiled at her again. "Just humble ol' me."

Hinata beamed, deliriously happy. _Naruto-kun has family! He doesn't have to be alone anymore! He has someone to depend on!...But now he won't ever need me..._"Oh, wait...he and his team are on a mission."

The man's face fell. "Really?" He looked/sounded like a dissapointed child.

Hinata called Konaru to her arms. "But you could check in with the Hokage, see when they might get back..."

The man frowned, squinting through the sunlight in the direction of the Kage tower. He sighed, looking like he carried the weight of the world, before grinning at her. "You know, I'll do just that." He shook Hinata's hand. "Goodbye, Hinata." He shook Konaru's paw. "Goodbye..."

"Konaru."

"Ah. Goodbye, Konaru." The fox yipped, the sound almost _pleading. _But the man was thinking about the fox's name. _Konaru? Little Naru? _The man watched the girl walk away, holding the fox close to her as she did.

---

"Oh, Konaru." Hinata drew back her blankets and slipped under them, the fox following her unhesitantly. "I feel so happy for Naruto-kun, really. About what that man said?"

Konaru lowered an ear; he'd been playing then, not listening. What had he missed?

She sighed. "I really, really, really want Naruto to have a family--he needs badly someone he can depend on. I...I just wish he would depend on _me. _I would never leave his side."

Konaru was silent, staring at her. Her eyes began to tear, and she hurriedly wiped them away before they fell. "I-I'm just too scared to tell him...Oh! I can tell you though, right Konaru-chan?"

Konaru, unnerved at the sight of her tears, yipped at once, desperate to relieve her of any burden she bore. She when she leaned in close and whispered the following words, he was ten different kinds of stunned:

_"I love Naruto-kun."_

**Okay. Before you complain about how short it was, please note that it is currently 2:12 A.M., and I'm staying up late working my ass off so my faithful reviews--you guys are kick-ass, lemme tell ya--will have something to read over the next two weeks.**

**READ MY PROFILE.**

**It explains everything.**

**Okay?**


	5. Tail 4

**Okay, I haven't updated this one in what seems like forever. I'm idiotically writing new stories instead, which is very unintelligent of me. -sigh- And I've got a huge case of Writer's Block on this fic--yes, it may be surprising to hear me finally say that, but it is true. I guess I can't go forever without WB. Damn.**

**And let me stress that I despise and loath Sakura with every fiber of my being; my hatred for her wouldn't be as strong as all that if she'd FREAKING TREAT NARUTO WITH THE RESPECT AND ADMIRATION HE DESERVES!! He's way more kick-ass than **_**Sasuke!**_

**BTW--If any of you know any good Naruto tributes (tributes to Naruto himself, I mean), could you send 'em to me? Or at least tell me the title and creator?! Only ones that stand out as fuckin'-brilliant in your mind, though.**

**And HOORAY! This chapter is going to be FULL of NARU/HINA-NESS!! WHOOOOOO! -confetti cannons go off-**

**BEWARE THE OOC-NESS. Just a warning. I'm afraid of this chapter...-stabs at it with a stick, and yelps when it eats the branch- Aaagh...**

_4 Tails_

Konaru watched over the girl as she slept, aware of the nightly sounds all around them. A bird somewhere in the late, late night chirped, and an owl hooted in response. In the house, the murmurings of the house staff as they padded down the halls doing late chores kept his ears alert.

_Hinata loves me._

He'd never thought of Hinata more than just a friend; a great friend, a sister even. She was closer to him than Sakura; someone he could talk to, share secrets with. He could tell her all of his fears, without fear of being scorned. He could share his dream with her, and she would respond with encouragement, admiration. She was someone he loved dearly--but never more than a sister.

_She said she loves me._

She watched out for him, as nonviolent as she was--she was always there.

He told himself he loved Sakura; beautiful, strong, passionate Sakura. She was always so vibrant, full of life; her pretty, expressive green eyes shimmered if the sun hit them at the right angle. He told himself that if he could prove himself to her, she would love him as much as he loved her. He thought that if he tried hard enough, she would learn to appreciate him, come to love him.

He should have seen that if he had to try, it wasn't true affection; if he had to force her to see him, how could she give him any real love?

He should have seen that with Hinata he never had to try: with Hinata, he didn't have to think about what he said before he said it; he didn't have to act strangely, to change his behavior around her; hell, he didn't even have to try to impress her.

That's what he couldn't get his mind around; _She loves me--for me. _Hinata giggled when he did something foolish--not a condescending chuckle, a sincere laugh directed at the situation, and not at him. He had extremely sensitive hearing; he heard her shift to look at him every time they were together--he could hear her bring her hands up to her face and avert her gaze just as he brought his eyes up to meet her's. Her eyes were always on him, she watched his every move. Before, he'd been stupid enough to believe she was watching for him to make a mistake, any error.

It was the opposite.

It always had been.

He saw now what he'd been too blind to see before: she saw him as the bravest ninja in the world, and the most dependable friend. She had Neji as a cousin, Kiba and Shino as teammates, and she was the heir to the Hyuuga clan--but she found him, _him, _strong. Someone to look up to. Someone who's nindo was one worth following.

_How could I not have seen?_

She loved him.

Hinata; silent, compassionate, brave Hinata.

Or Sakura.

Whom did he love?

As the little fox gazed upon the heir to a great clan, wondering how--if it should happen--they would ever find a way in the world together, being so different, she murmured his name in her sleep; _"Naru...to-kun..."_, a soft smile playing out on her delicate lips, spreading across her pretty face. Looking at her, he wondered how he could ever have missed her beauty before.

Hinata or Sakura?

The little creature smiled and leapt from it's perch on the windowsill as the sky began to lighten. He padded across Hinata's pillow, nuzzling in close under her chin, curling into a tight ball over her heart...

...and found himself falling for her.

---

The man crept with ease through Konoha, find the three's houses easily.

First he took the dog.

Then the cat.

And finally the fox.

And although he masked his chakra, each guardian over the specific animal shifted in their sleep, face contorting in a scowl when said animal was lifted away from them. And though there was a sleeping jutsu placed on them, the animals struggled weakly in their involuntary unconciousness.

_Such great prizes. The Boss will be quite pleased._

---

Tsunade found herself staring at the man still, even though he'd been there for hours. He seemed to be a carbon-copy of the little blonde Genin she'd come to view as family; the golden tresses framing his fair, handsome face--cerulean blue eyes catching and holding the light even in the dimly lit room. The way he stood, positioning himself in an easy fight-or-flight stance, arms at a careful tense ease at his sides, hands clenched into easy fists.

And his kind, warm-hearted smile.

It was like she was seeing an older version of Naruto, minus the tell-tale, whisker-like possession marks.

"Tsunade-hime, staring isn't very polite," the man chuckled.

She blinked, caught off-guard--how did he see her staring?--but had her composure back in record time. "Well, neither is dissapearing for thirteen years."

The man winced, and immediately all the animation left him. "It's sad...that I couldn't remember..."

Tsunade watched him carefully, eyes studying the Fourth's every movement. The man continued to stare out the window, but the Godaime wasn't about to be fooled into thinking he couldn't feel her eyes on him. Instead, he just continued talking, as though nothing else mattered in the world than getting his story out.

Standing beside him was Jiraiya the Toad Sage, and every few seconds he'd raise a hand and ruffle the blonde spikes of unruly hair adorning his student's head. When Arashi had strode unhesitantly into Tsunade's office, bidding them a friendly hello as though it was just another day that he'd happened upon them in the park, or some such nonsense, Jiraiya had shone no surprise--but instead pulled the young man roughly into a one-armed hug. After that, Kakashi had been summoned to the Hokage's office, and, fearing another mission, took his time getting there. ((Poor guy missed his three little idiots. Especially the black- and blonde-haired ones.)) ... ((DIE SAKURA!!)) But when he'd finally arrived, crouched in the window frame, slipping his book back into his pouch, his eye had widened and he very nearly tumbled backwards out of the window.

The soft look on Arashi's face when he saw his former pupil--the same that had been on Jiraiya's when he saw Arashi--was not one Tsunade would soon understand; the love of a sensei for their student. It wasn't an emotional, goopy mess, but a sincere bond formed by one whose willing to teach, and one whose ready to learn. "Hey, Kakashi," he'd said quietly, walking forward to pull the silver-haired Jounin off the windowsill. He studied him for a moment, the mask hiding his left eye especially--Kakashi couldn't help but notice his teacher was still a few inches taller--then ruffled his hair. "Long time no see, huh." It wasn't a question. And Kakashi hadn't spoken; only stared at his sensei for a few straight moments of silence--and then smiled under his mask, eye curving into introverted Us. "Yes, sensei," he'd said respectfully, a tone laced with underlying admiration and pride--_his _sensei could even come back from the _dead._

It was a tone of voice that Tsunade had never heard the Jounin use before. Tsunade was learning quite a bit; she recognized Jiraiya's touseling of Arashi's already-unruly hair, and Arashi's of Kakashi's, was the same--and it only reminded her of the many times Kakashi patted Naruto's head. Unwittingly, they had passed the affectionate gesture down through the generations.

It was something to think about.

"I woke up in a village not far from here. Wave, I think," (At least, I think it's Wave...) he said softly, eyes the same shade of blue as the sky he studied. "I...had no clue how I got there--or even who I was. The woman who found me ran an Inn, and I lived there, helping her out in return since I had no money." Although his back was to them, they had no doubt that he could feel their stares boring into his back. "It's kind of unfair, how it all worked out--about a year ago, I caught a flu that was going around, and the country was so poor, I had to battle it out without medicine." He gave a half-hearted chuckle here, and Jiraiya gave an exasperated sigh, while Kakashi rolled his eye. Ignoring them, for he surely could tell what they were doing, the blonde man continued, "There were struggles there, with a man named Ghato. He had a man in his employment who was known as a demon, Zabuza. During the few days--I'm unsure how long--I was out, there was a band of Konoha ninja--Genins and their sensei--escorting the bridgebuilder home. Apparently, they righted things in the end.

"But then I heard what the new bridge was to be called--what the bridge_ is _called, and will always be remembered as."

His audience was hanging on to his every word. He faced them with his famous, lopsided smile, that his son had inherited. "The Great Naruto Bridge."

Kakashi looked a little staggered, but as proud as one with a mask covering two-thirds of one's face could look. Arashi continued somberly, "After that, the memories came back slowly. Only a week ago did I finally remember whose name it was that rang so familiar in my head. The last memory that came back to me was my most important."

"So," he said, much more cheerful now. "When does my son get back?"

The cheer died when he saw everyone's uncomfortably averted gaze.

---

"I see," he said slowly, mulling over what he'd been told. "So my son is currently a fox." He chuckled. "Kind of ironic."

Choosing to ignore that, Jiraiya said, "I've been searching for a release jutsu, or a reverse jutsu, but nothing seems to be right."

Arashi nodded thoughtfully, and opened his mouth to speak, but before anything could be said or done, the door was slammed open so hard it very nearly broke off its hinges. Inuzaka Kiba stormed into the room, not thinking to look at anyone other than the Godaime. "What the hell have you done with her?!" he snarled furiously.

Behind him was Yamanaka Ino and Hyuuga Hinata. The first looked just as irate, while the second was near tears.

Tsunade blinked, a little surprised. "Who do you mean?"

"_You know damn well who the hell I mean!" _His anger was somewhat frightening; the way he growled out his words, how his fangs seemed longer, his eyes more slitted, angled back like an angry animal's.

"Where'd you take them?" Ino cried, just as irritated. "Give them back!" Her anger was less impressive, but still unnerving ((Everyone's afraid of rabid fangirls.))

Arashi recognized Hinata as the girl from Ichiraku's, and singled her out as the one to talk to. Tears building in her eyes made the pupiless lavendar shimmer, catching the light. "Hinata-chan, wasn't it?" he said kindly. She glanced up at him, reassessing who he was, and then cried out, throwing her arms around him. ((THIS IS NOT HINA/ARASHI)) "It's Konaru," she sobbed, finally crying. "He's gone."

Suddenly what she said made a deeper sense than he'd realized before. _Ko Naru. _His son-turned-fox had been placed under the tender care of the heir to the Hyuuga clan, and was now missing. _Great._

"So is Hibiki!" Kiba growled; even Akamaru looked upset, probably more for his master's sake than anything, but after the incident of the missing Konaru, things had mellowed, and Hibiki and Akamaru had begun to see eye-to-eye.

"And Kosuke!"

Tsunade stood up and walked around the desk to face Kiba; Kiba met her gaze and held it. If anyone would get attatched to a dog, and then get pissed off when it went missing, it'd be Kiba.

"What do you mean, they're _missing?"_

**Gomen for its less than satisfying length, and its OOCness. -**.**- Arigato, thanks for reading! Please review! P.SArashi called Tsunade "Tsunade-hime", didn't he?**

**I'm sorry it was rushed!**

**Ja!**

**-distant6**


	6. Tail 5

**Okies, I'm sorry this took so long. I'm a **_**little **_**overwhelmed right now. But I will tell you that once I get situated here—I'm currently staying at my mom's boyfriend's mom's house—then the writing will come easier. I haven't slept right in about a month, now. -**.**- Not that that **_**matters….**_

**Mm, the next stories I'll be updating will be…-thinks-…Well, the **_**Will of Fire, Glass Behind the Blue **_**or **_**Tails of Team Seven. **_**Either of those. Depending. …Yeah, probably TTS…I haven't started the next chapter for WF or GBB yet…-groans- I hate work. **

**-Standard disclaimer applies-**

**((THIS IS VERY SHORT; I APOLOGIZE!))**

_5 Tails_

_Where…am I…? _

He opened his eyes slowly; he was surrounded by darkness. Frowning, he lifted his face and sniffed, once, twice. He didn't recognize his surroundings at all; and there was no scent. He blinked—no scent meant he was alone.

He leapt up, eyes adjusting strangely quickly to the darkness; they flashed a bright red in the dim. His fur bristled on end in general anger, worry and fear, all kind of rolled into a tight ball of misery somewhere inside him. _Sasuke-teme…Sakura-chan…. _He growled deep in his throat, and it came out a small, deep, rumbling noise, ripping through the silent enclosure; he knew he was locked up somewhere because, other than the surrounding dim, he couldn't feel even the slightest breeze.

…_Hinata-chan!_

What if they had her? What if something had happened to her, and he hadn't done anything to stop it? What if she was hurt?

Ever since her own indirect confession, he'd been feeling so much more protective of her than usual, mind filled with a constant concern for her—and the deep desire to make her happy, to keep her smiling all the time.

"DAMMIT!" he howled—and then froze.

Slowly he brought his hands—hands!—up to his face, and felt it; smooth, furless skin—human flesh. He took a few minutes to digest that; then realized that while his senses had dulled slightly from the sharp animal's senses to a human's—his was still excellent since he had a fox in him—his hearing hadn't been blunted at all. Frowning, he moved to feel his ears; he had to feel to the top of his head until he found them.

Furry fox ears.

…._You've got to be kidding._

--

"Well? Have they been contained?"

"Yes, sir…They're in two separate cells…"

"You've alienated the Jinchuuriki, correct?"

"Y-Yes, of course, sir; and the cells are sealed—there's no way he can escape."

"Mm…Good. Now take your leave."

"Right away, sir."

--

They were shocked.

…Sort of.

"Ah. Okay," Ino said thoughtfully, nodding with a determined expression on her face. Kiba, likewise, was musing softly to himself under his breath, absently stroking Akamaru. Hinata was the only one even remotely surprised.

"Wha…what?!" she shrieked, the cry muffled slightly by her hands as she clapped them over her mouth. Her face was a brilliant crimson-y color. "N-Naruto-kun…was…Konaru?!"

Kiba looked at her, eyebrows going up slightly. "I thought you knew, Hinata," he said, looking a little put-out. "You were so attached to him—and he acting almost human around you all the time…" Seeing her franticly embarrassed expression, he amended quickly, "I would have told you!"

"Wait…" Tsunade finally spoke now, not hiding her incredulous surprise. "How did you—"

"Akamaru told me," Kiba said with a smirk, fondly petting the puppy's head. "He smelt straight off that Hibiki wasn't a dog. That's the only reason I didn't kill her, to tell you the truth."

When the Godaime turned her eyes to Ino, the girl shrugged. "Shikamaru told me."

"How did Shikamaru—"

"Shikamaru knows _everything,_" Ino said in a confidential tone of voice. "He told me randomly about a week ago. I was surprised at first, but then it made sense." She kind of smiled, but her eyes were sad. Then abruptly she was on the verge of tears. "…Kosuke…."

Hinata was still struggling; _Naruto is Konaru! _Suddenly, it all made sense—the fox's addiction to ramen; his amazing intelligence, the way he would follow any conversation with his eyes, ears clandestinely flicking towards the speaker as they formed their words; the way he ran, scouting ahead with his gaze for anything that might happen in front of him so he could stop if need be; the way he rubbed against her when she was upset, making a small whining noise in his throat; and the way he'd attacked that assassin who'd broken into her room.

_But…then that means—! _She'd told him; she'd told her little Konaru that she loved Naruto.

Hinata dropped her face into her hands; Ino stopped gushing and Kiba glanced at her with concern. Arashi traded looks with Kakashi and Jiraiya; Jiraiya chuckled softly without any real humor (concerned about the little blonde cretin he'd begun to look after) and Kakashi eye-smiled—he was worried beyond belief about his young team, but he had his sensei back. His sensei would right all wrongs; not to _mention _it was Arashi's son's team that had gone missing.

_We'll get them back; without a doubt. _Naruto's voice suddenly rang through his head; "_Without a doubt! I'll show all of you, you'll see! I'll be the greatest Hokage Konoha has ever seen! Believe it!" _And Kakashi's confidence faded a bit; what if they didn't? He didn't have a family anymore; he'd pretty much adopted Sasuke and Naruto as family because they shared the same bond—orphans. Naruto knew especially what it was like to be alone, and yet it never got to him the way it had Sasuke.

He looked at Arashi; the blonde man had been gone for so long, and yet nothing about him had changed. He, Kakashi, had changed; from cold and uncaring to…somewhat fatherly. Thinking of something happening to his students made something in his chest clench painfully; he didn't like it.

Meanwhile, Kiba was sort of afraid that Hinata was going to die because of all the blood rushing to her head. The girl cradled her head, when she paused; she thought back to when she'd let slip to Konaru about her crush. What had he done?

He'd curled up next to her; licked her slightly on the cheek. He'd stuck to her like glue.

"Okay," Tsunade said after a moment of silence. "We need to find them."

At once, everyone in the room's heads flipped around, their eyes glinting almost evilly. Tsunade blinked, sinking slowly back into her chair. "Er…any volunteers?" She was almost afraid to ask.

"I'LL GO!" everyone in the room shouted, minus Kakashi, who kind of _hmphed _and crossed his arms like he couldn't _believe _he was being asked, and Hinata, who blushed a bright red and nodded emphatically.

"Well, then, we have our team," Tsunade said without argument, writing something down. "Good. Now, for the leader…"

The door slammed open, and Shikamaru slouched in. "Sup," he drawled in that bored, deadpan tone.

"Sh…Shikamaru?" Ino stuttered, blinking several times. "What are you doing here?"

"I figured that after you lost Team 7 again, you could use some help." Someone joined him in the doorway, making all the Genins in the room kind of anime-face plant.

"G-GAARA?!"

"Yeah," Shikamaru said tiredly, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I figured he'd be able to help you out. Can I come too? It's troublesome, but I'd like to make sure Naruto and them 're okay."

Tsunade looked at Ino. "How did he…?"

"I told you," she said, shrugging, in the 'give it up' voice. "Shikamaru knows _everything." _

**I don't have time for any more! I'm sorry! As due back, I'll make the next update SUPER long, 'kay? It's a promise, 'tebayo!**

**-distant6**


	7. Tail 6

**Ahh...it's been about eight years since I last update this fic, eh?...-far-off gaze- Good times...gooood times...**

**Ano...this next chapter's gonna be kind of strange...a little scrambled, with no order whatsoever...I've been all up-tight lately, and completely unsure about all of my writing...especially because of this new anime I watched--and loved ((Ouran High School Host Club))--and I've kind of...'lost the fire', I guess...My metaphorical well of ideas has gone dry--I'm waiting for the rain of inspiration...**

**This chapter isn't going to make much sense; please resist the urge to flame. Arigato!**

_6 Tails_

There was a small explosion at the end of the long hall; a dark-haired boy with--surprisingly--black cat ears tumbled out of the dark room whose cast-iron door had been blown off its hinges. He glanced around, down on all fours much like cat himself. Then, realizing himself, straightened at once. "Sakura," he said quietly, glancing into the room. "Good job. Let's go." A pink-haired girl, white fluffy ears looking very out of place in the murky dungeons, ran out after him, close to his side.

"Where's Naruto, Sasuke-kun?" she asked in a no-nonsense voice. Sasuke recognized it and smirked to himself, the gesture in no way lightening the fury in his dark, usually impassive eyes; about time she got serious.

"I think they took him father down this hall," he said, voice soft and extremely angry. "They put a few high-class seals on the door, though, so I don't think that he'd be able to get out."

"Huh?" Sakura blinked, one floppy dog ear perking up higher than the other in interest. "Seals? Why would seals stop Naruto?"

Sasuke stared at her; she still didn't know? He'd figured out about Naruto's Kyuubi the day the fox had gotten lost in the forest. Sasuke--who had been Kosuke at the time--had, upon reaching him, found it impossible to get any nearer than a foot close to him. There was some kind of barrier of chakra, something that no other living thing (for all living things contain some chakra) could pass through, unless invited. The barrier itself was a tainted, evil chakra; it made Kosuke uneasy just to be near it. It seemed hopeless to retrieve the shivering wet ball of orange fur, and the black kitten had gotten aggrivated, clawing irately at the barrier, as though he had some hope of shredding it with his needle-point claws. It was amazing, though, (to him at least) what had allowed him access to his teammate; two burgundy eyes had opened slowly, warm with fever, and had blinked several times, eyelids never sliding up more than halfway--and then they shut, the kit letting out a relieved sigh. And Kosuke had heard his relieved, grateful whisper (in animal talk, of course), "_Don't worry...it's Sasuke...you can let it down, Fox...thanks..." _And after his last words, the barrier had slid down like water running off an upside-down bowl, then faded into the earth. And it was at that moment that everything just clicked into place--why the boy had shown such incredible regeneration, body beginning to heal itself seconds after acquiring the wound, why the drastic changes in his appearance took place as his emotional balance rose; why he had been so mistreated when he was young.

And now, Sasuke was faced with explaining all of this to a thick-headed, big-mouthed, pink-haired nuisance(). Instead, he turned away with a scowl, snapping, "Nevermind. Let's go find him, alright?" And he dashed away--ninja-style--leaving his teammate, who, as a many-times-rejected fangirl, was unfazed, to follow. He led the way down the corridor, and came to a very sudden halt at the first sight of a door plastered with strong seals. Sasuke frowned and reached towards one, only to pull back his hand as the air around it singed. Sakura leaned as close as she dared to inspect them, murmuring about some legendary jutsu neither of them would ever have a chance to learn that would have taken the papers of the door in an instant.

So, Sasuke did what any practical, elite Leaf nin would do:

"Oi, dobe! You still alive?"

There was a moment's silence; the fragmented team had begun to get concerned, when there was a weary rustle from inside. "Sasuke...?"

Sasuke felt himself limpen with relief, and beside him Sakura loosed a soft sigh, trying to stop herself shaking. "Yeah," Sasuke called through the door. (They'd already blown a hole in the wall to escape their own cell; the time for stealth had long past.) "Yeah, Naruto, it's us."

"Good," came a hoarse chuckle. "I was beginning to worry when you didn't show up first thing for a lecture."

Sakura growled, opening her mouth for what would undoubtedly be a loud retort, but Sasuke silenced her with a look. "Are you alright?" he asked through the door, frowning.

"Eh? Of course I am!...Mm...Oi, Sasuke--stand back." Sasuke and Sakura glanced sidelong at each other--but before they could question their blonde comrade's motives, fiery red chakra suddenly burned through the door, engulfing the seals in seconds; for a moment, there was no visible progress. And then the seals began to crisp, and finally blacken, and turn to ash. As they stared--fascinated and a little frightened--the door swung open, completely unscratched, and Naruto trotted out, hands in his pockets, looking exhausted but elsewise unharmed. "So," he said after taking a few seconds to glance around airily. "What now?"

---

They burst into the room quite suddenly; every eye found them.

Naruto smirked, one orange ear twitching back when Sakura shifted slightly; Sasuke whispered to her to keep watch in the hallway, should anyone else try to join them and 'the boss', and she obliged hastily. "Heeeey! Wassup, guys?" His eyes started to bleed red, and the aura he gave turned from pissed off to _demonicly _pissed off. "In a matter of weeks, you've turned me and my friends into animals, nearly had us killed, stole us from our village, had us locked away in some random cells in this sorry-ass place, and now I'm gonna beat you so hard they'll write stories about it."

The 'boss' turned around where he stood with a smirk. "Oh, really?"

Naruto's sneer fell, Sasuke's mouth fell open; this highly feared 'boss' was no more than a child--a boy. He was elegant clothing (Naruto, eyeing it, could tell it cost more than he could ever dream of affording), and had the air of high-class wealth.

"Ehhhh?!" Naruto jabbed a finger in his direction, ears laying flat against his blonde spikes. "Y-Y-You're just a runt!"

The boy scowled. "Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Are--"

"_SHUT UP!" _Sasuke yelled, taking a step forward and punching the youngest of the Konoha Genin in the side of the head. _"Gods, _you're so annoying!" The dark-haired boy's irritation faded slightly when his comrade stumbled to the side and stayed slightly crouched over, breathing a bit heavier than before. "...Naruto?"

"See?" the boy said excitedly to one of the ninja standing around. "They're very amusing! I want them!"

Both of them looked up. "Eh?"

"The two of you and that pretty girl out there are mine now!" He said, stomping a foot. "I even hired these guys--" he gestured around at the hired men "--to go and find you!"

Sasuke shoved Naruto back when the latter threatened to yell something unintelligent and elsewise unhelpful, and said coolly, "Why us specifically?"

The boy shrugged. "I had 'em scout around for someone I could buy to amuse me every now and then, like an entertainer, and they came back and said the found a team of shinobi from Konoha that fit the bill perfectly."

"And you went through that whole elaborate scheme..." Sasuk said quietly. "With the mission...and the scroll...to turn us into animals...for _this?"_

"Yup!" the kid looked pleased with himself.

"So...lemme get this straight..." Sakura mumbled as she was carried back into the room by two ninja on either side of her, both gripping one of her arms. "You want to enslave us just so you can watch us fight every now and again when you get bored?"

"Uh-huh!" the kid chirped, looking pleased with himself.

There was a very long silence.

Then Sasuke sat down. "Well this is pointless."

"Damn," Naruto muttered, looking crestfallen. "I was hopin' for a good fight, too."

Sakura, from where she dangled, glared up at the two men. "Put me down!"

"Stop it!" the kid screamed. "Stop it, stop it! You have to obey me, you belong to me!"

Sasuke was twitching. "This is so stupid. I can't believe..._Agh, _I can never show my face in Konoha again if word of this gets out."

"Sassssssuuukeeeee," Naruto whined pathetically. "Can I do it? Please?"

The vessel's comrade flapped a hand. "Sure, go ahead."

"Yosh!" Naruto held up his hands, making that familiar cross with his middle and pointer fingers on each hand, and yelled, "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" _

---

The doors burst open; the six ninja standing in the doorway, alert and ready for anything, faltered. A cat-eared Sasuke, a Sakura with fluffy puppy ears, and a Naruto with orange fox ears and a fox tail were sitting in the middle of a large room with a dozen or so unconcious ninja lying about and a little kid in the middle, writhing around, bound and gagged.

The first thing that was said came from Shikamaru: "Troublesome people."

"Ahh!" Sakura stood with a smile, not really noticing the Konoha shinobi's perplexed looks as one of her ears twitched. "About time you got here!" Kiba's jaw was working, but no sound left his mouth. Akamaru whined, voicing the inner thoughts of his master as the two stared at Sakura's ears.

"One comment," Sasuke said tightly, voice thick with an implied threat as Ino gasped with delight, edging closer to his black-cat-eared glory. "Just one."

Hinata, however, ran forward and threw her arms around Naruto without any hesitation to speak of. "Naruto-kun!" she cried softly, burying her face in his orange jacket and waiting to be pushed aside. "I was so worried!"

Instead, two wonderfully warm arms wrapped around her in return, hugging her close. "I'm sorry, Hina-chan," the dobe of Konoha whispered gently for her ears only. "I didn't want to worry you..." The pale-eyed girl blushed furiously and fell abruptly silent in her crush's arms; he only smiled wider and rested his face in her hair, ears lowering to either side of his face with pleasure.

The blonde-haired genin's comrades watched, smiling; even Sasuke shut his eyes and looked away with a small smirk. Kakashi eye-smiled, shutting his eyes (although only one was visible) and tilting his head; they'd all had to adapt majorly to Naruto, but for Kakashi it was huge: what kind of soon-to-be-ninja allowed their sensei to ruffle their hair? ((...Heh...)) Jiraiya leaned against the doorway, looking upon all the younger shinobi with a protective guardian alert.

But then a voice unfamiliar to Team Seven broke the companionable silence; "Naruto."

Naruto stiffened; Hinata blinked, pulling away with confusion. "Naruto-kun...?" But the blonde's gaze was locked on someone behind her, and his arms dropped from her shoulders. He stepped around her, taking a few steps forward, past his teacher and his team, stumbling a bit and then breaking into a clumsy run until he met the man standing with Kiba, Shikamaru and Ino. He dove into the older blonde's open arms with suddenly tear-filled eyes, crying, "_Dad!"_

**-sighs-** **I was close. Six. I wanted Nine. -sidelong glance- Oh well. There **_**will **_**be an epilogue, peoples, to wrap this up. And I _KNOW _it was short.**

**I'm sorry--I tried to warn you that this chapter was bad. T-T Ehh...Again, please don't flame! And I hope you wait around for the last installment...It's been fun!**

**AND DON'T ASK ME ABOUT GAARA--you'll find out in the epilogue. -sulks-**


	8. Note

**Gomen, not an update--but I have a simple question: How many of you would feel alright with a crackfic-chapter epilogue? I mean, one focused more on the humor instead of anything serious?**

**I wouldn't mind working on a serious-er one, but it would take a bit longer.**

**Maybe I could just do half-and-half...**

**Please answer in a review; this is an internal struggle of mind that will end up as Writer's Block, so I'd like to settle this now and start working on it before the WB takes any effect whatsoever.**

**-distant6**


	9. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

She sat quietly on a stool at the far end of the counter, twirling back and forth absently, a small smile growing across her face. The young woman behind the counter smiled knowingly at her, setting the chopsticks out again; they had closed hours ago, but one night a week they reopened for a certain group of ninja only - the numbers varied from two to twenty each week, but usually there was a good turnout.

Passing villagers glanced at the girl as they passed the ramen stall, recognizing her at once and wondering what she was doing out alone at night. She didn't appear worried, though, and her smile got bigger with each passing second as she waited both patiently and excitedly for her comrades to arrive.

"Oi! Hinata!"

She blinked and looked around, smile momentarily gone but bouncing back into place once more as she replied, "Kiba-kun! You made it!"

"Yeah, sure did," the ANBU said, hopping off his ride - the large dog settled behind his stool as he sat down next to Hinata - and stowing his mask in his pocket. "I even dragged Shino and Chouji along." His fellow ANBU - one dragging along another, while a third walking calmly in their stead - arrived next, each taking their place at the counter. One by one, more ANBU appeared, all sliding their masks off and away.

After about a half an hour, one - with long pale blonde hair fashioned in a high ponytail - questioned loudly, "Where's he _at?!"_

"Well," a quieter shinobi said, crossing his arms and closing pupiless eyes. "He's _probably _finishing up all of his paperwork."

"Wait, here he--no, that's not him. _Damn, _those two look so much alike!"

"Yondaime-sama," Shikamaru began, twirling his mask lazily in one hand, "where's--"

"He _said _he'll come," the blonde man said cheerfully, not waiting for the younger ninja to finish his question as he sat down. "Can I eat yet?"

The chorus of voices came in sync: "_NO!"_

He sniffed. "Your generation has such lack of respect for authority nowadays. I mean just _look _at how you treat your Hoka--"

A rather large poof of smoke startled them all - Chouji fell out of his chair. It proved to be Kakashi, who raised a hand in greeting. "Yo."

Had any of his own students been there, they would've screamed "YOU'RE LATE!!!"; as it was, the ANBU nodded respectfully at him, noting at once his authority, and Arashi yanked him off the stool he perched on and ruffled his hair (None of the ANBU decided to comment on this; Kakashi didn't seem to mind, anyway).

"Dammit, this always happens," Shikamaru drawled, half-asleep. "We've got to wait on his sorry--" He shut up abruptly and glanced down at the feel of something slithering over his foot. Then his scowl was back in place and he drawled quietly, "Troublesome Kazekage." When everyone looked round again, the redheaded Kage stood behind them, arms folded, sand returning back to him with a faint whispering sound; he'd send the sand out on people who voiced even the slightest infraction towards his best and only friend in his presence (to scare them only; his friend would be cross if he killed them).

"Gaara-sama," Hinata said hesitantly, "We're glad you could make it."

He just blinked at her. Everyone felt the cheer in the atmosphere kind of choke, stagger into a metaphorical corner and die an excruciatingly slow and painful death, when Lee jumped out of his seat, ran over and thumped Gaara cheerfully on the back; his 'friendly thump' was intercepted by the sand, but he didn't seem to notice. "Gaara! You made it!"

No one said a word.

"Hn." But Gaara allowed himself to be led to a seat. He stopped though, glancing halfway over his shoulder, and then smiled. Everyone kind of leaned out of the stall to stare down the road in the direction that he'd sent his rare friendly gesture, and kind of cringed when several screams tore through the air; the villagers nearby panicked and dropped whatever they had in their hands to gape in the same direction:

"_HOKAGE-DOBE! GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE!"_

_"NO! I REFUSE!"_

_"DO IT, OR I WILL KILL YOU MYSELF! WHO GIVES A DAMN ABOUT YOUR AUTHORITY!"_

_"YOU CAN'T JUST KILL A HOKAGE!"_

_"WATCH ME!"_

_"...I'll take your word for--NO! LEAVE ME ALONE! __**PUT ME DOWN**__!"_

Sakura, panting and disshelved, came trotting into view, brushing some stray pink locks out of her face as she sat next to Ino. "He's coming," she chirped to the blinking ninja.

And then Sasuke came into view, kind of twitching, a kicking and screaming blonde thrown over one shoulder. The Yondaime buried his face in one hand to stifle his laughter. The rest of them either burst out laughing or rolled their eyes one, while Kakashi smiled fondly at the outraged blonde dobe as Sasuke drew nearer; Gaara's smile had faded but his eyes still contained some laughter, a sliver of joy that had not been there in the days before Naruto.

_"THIS IS SO FREAKING UNDIGNIFIED!"_

"Shut up."

_"YOU CAN'T TELL ME TO SHUT UP, DAMMIT!"_

"...Shut up."

"AGHHHHHHHH! I'M GONNA DEMOTE YOU!"

"Like Hell."

Everyone watched with something bordering hysterical amusement as the Uchiha - he'd long abandoned his fox mask - reached the ramen stall and made still no move to let his leader go. But then Naruto blinked, eyes falling on Gaara, and he beamed; in no time at all, he was tackling Gaara, his friends blinking at the open air suddenly hanging over Sasuke's shoulder and whipsawed around. They would _never_ get used to that. Arashi chuckled, glad to see the Kekkai Genkai put to some use, and tousled his son's hair affectionately as the latter dove on top of the Kazekage and sat comfortably on his gourd.

"W...Wait," Kiba said suddenly, blinking. "I thought that the sand--"

"It registers threats," Shikamaru grumbled. "Naruto's no threat. At least not to anyone but himself."

"You're a very troublesome person," Arashi said before he could help it, sending their group into gales of uncontrolled laughter (minus a few who kind of smirked; they know who they are), while Naruto cried, "GAARA! It's been so LONG!" And Gaara smiled at him, nothing sinister or vengeful or elsewise un-...smile-like in the gesture.

"Now, to the next order of business," he said, still seated on the gourd, "RAMEN!"

"_Finally," _the Yondaime said with much unneeded exasperation. "_Jeez_, you people should get your priorities straightened out."

Sasuke yanked Naruto off of Gaara without a glance at him, and Naruto gave him an earful, but was soon distracted by a large bowl of ramen sent his way by a grinning Old Man Ichiraku (you know who I mean, even if that isn't his name so XP). He sat down eagerly, friends on all sides, inhaling noodles of their own, before he stopped, paused for a few seconds, and smiled suddenly, a very sweet and tender smile. Everyone paused to glance at him, and he leaned over to Hinata, sitting at his left, and kissed her gently on the cheek, whispering, "I missed you, my sweet."

She blushed faintly but not nearly so as much as she might have before the whole animal jutsu incident. She returned the sentiment, and the kiss, and all of the ANBU and sensei and...previous...Hokage-peoples wooped loudly, making Naruto grumble again and Hinata flush.

It may have seemed like all fun and games to some of the travelers who happened to be passing through, but the villagers knew so much better. Years after the Yondaime's return, the Kyuubi no gaki had been chosen to be Rokudaime by the Godaime without any hesitation at all; there wasn't even anyone else in the running.

---

His friends had all been informed before him, and they stood waiting for him--all of them--inside Tsunade's office as Arashi led the teen inside. They were always startled by how alike the two blonds looked; golden tresses gently framing their faces, bright blue eyes--Naruto's a slightly bluer blue (don't ask, can't explain o.o)--and kind-hearted smiles--the biggest difference was the possession marks on Naruto's cheeks. But anyway...

They'd never forget the look on the boy's face when the Hokage held out to him the Kage hat. He had stared at it for a long moment, and those nearest him felt him begin to tremble. His team watched him carefully; Sasuke especially. Sasuke knew him better than anyone, except perhaps Iruka, and he knew as well as everyone else in the room how big a moment for Naruto this was.

He had always been scorned for his dream; everyone told him it was unachievable; that the Kyuubi no gaki would never be Hokage, that he would never be good enough to play that part in life.

But then..._Now, _his comrades thought smugly, as proud as though the hat was being handed out to them individually, _Now look, Konoha. See him? He was always there._

He'd reached out a tentative hand and grasped the edge of the hat, bringing it closer to him, gripping it on either side with both hands. His head was bowed and no one had been able to see his expression. When he looked back up the action was sudden and there were tears sparkling in his suddenly too-brilliant azure eyes.

"Rokudaime..." he'd whispered, looking almost stricken. No one had been sure how to gauge his reaction--good, bad, hysterical?--but Iruka had laughed softly and approached him softly, smiling his trademark gentle smile.

"I always thought that 'Rokudaime' sounded the coolest," the Chuunin had whispered mock-confidentially, and Naruto had stayed silent for a moment and then beamed brightly.

"Hai!" he'd cried, cramming the hat on his head. "Naruto Uzumaki, Rokudaime of Konoha! B-Believe it!"

It was the first and last time he'd ever stumbled over his own catch phrase; that was enough in itself to convince the Rookie Nine that this was, in fact, what could possibly be the greatest day of his life.

In fact, Sakura had asked him that, teasingly: "Sooo, isn't this the greatest thing that's ever happened to you?"

And he'd stopped his enthusiastic and racuous laughter (so annoying any other time, but they'd give anything to hear it always from then on) and had blinked with suddenly far-off eyes. "No..." And he'd reached an arm slowly to his forehead where the hitai-ate that was originally his first sensei's rested on his brow. "No, it's not...

"But it's damn near close."

_Why couldn't you see him?_

_-x-_

His dream had come true, and no one could stand in his way anymore; he was strong, he was powerful, undefeatable...Naruto. They wondered if that should simply go in a dictionary; 'Narutoish', 'Narutoy', 'unNaruto'...

They were amazed at themselves, but they thought that he would forget them and move on; he had his dream firmly in his grasp, now, he needed no one. But instead, he'd begun making changes the very night after everything became official--

--and the next morning found Sasuke, Sakura, Lee, TenTen, Neji, Hinata, Shino, Kiba, Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji holding ANBU masks.

"B...But are you sure we--" Chouji began hesitantly, looking up from his pearl-white mask.

"You are the most elite ninja I've ever met." They had been surprised at Naruto's tone; it was completely serious and lacking in any playful banter. He stared at them, and they suddenly felt confined, like prey in the eyes of the predator; but then the intense seriousness in his gaze had faded and Naruto smiled a crooked, closed-eye smile. "If I'm going to do this, then I want all of you with me. We've made it this far together...right?" He looked suddenly uncertain, like maybe he'd made the wrong decision, made a chose that didn't please them. Loathe to see him like that, Hinata had whispered softly, clutching her mask to her chest, "Yes, Naru..." She looked conflicted for a moment. "Hokage-sama...?"

Naruto had gone pale. "Are you really going to calm me that?" he'd asked warily. "'Cause it sounds weird."

"Hokage-dobe," Sasuke had said at once, and the tension that had mounted slightly dissipated.

"Ahh, that sounds much more recognizable," the blonde said, nodding with a happy smile. "In any case--" he leapt down; he'd been perched _on _the desk, rather than seated behind it "--it was an honor serving Konoha beside you...and..." He'd struggled to find the words. Sakura and Sasuke had smiled knowingly at one another. "...I want to keep it that way...

_Because you are all precious to me, _the rest of Team Seven could see in his eyes, _I want you with me, near me, so I can protect you. You have to stay with me...so I can keep you safe. I don't want any of you to die._

_Please don't leave me now._

---

In any case, Konoha prospered. Suna and Konoha had never gotten along so well before in any given period of history; the Hokage and Kazekage were close friends, always seen with one another in either Sand or Leaf, making friends with the opposite villagers. It expanded the knowledge of themselves, the villagers, and the Villages in general.

Things seemed to be at peace; Konoha was never even remotely threatened, their ANBU were so much more elite than the previous generation had been. Every now and then, Sasuke would reach up and run a hand over his fox-shaped mask. Naruto had given it to him in private, after he'd handed out everyone else's; he'd told him to look out for it, 'cause he might want it back someday. Sasuke understood the implied sentiment behind the bantering tone and had accepted Naruto's old ANBU mask. The blonde dobe had become an ANBU so suddenly, it shocked everyone. He outranked them, outskilled them, and definitely outweighed them in stamina--they just hadn't noticed until that day the ANBU had come sweeping down upon them, startling the hell out of them all...

...only to sweep back his hood, uncovering his wild blonde hair, revealing the fox-shaped mask, bright blue shining behind the eyeholes. He had been the only one of them to become ANBU--until he, of course, made them ANBU himself.

The Hokage would always sneak out for trouble, and his two advisors, one wearing a cat mask, the other a fox, would track him down to various places and usually _join _him in whatever it was he was doing--unless Cat said no. Then both Rokudaime and Fox would kind of sag (Fox doing it more for the Sixth's sake) and return to Kage tower to the mountains of living, breathing, _ceaselessly growing _paperwork.

But it was fun; because Naruto had his two best friends there with him, helping him, burdening each a third of the load; the first time it happened, he'd been surprised when Sakura began shifting the papers into three equal piles--but after the exasperated look she'd given him, like 'Do you really think we'll let you do all this on your own?' it had never been questioned again, and ever since then that was the way it went. It was enjoyable, actually; Naruto began to wonder why Tsunade had complained so much about it, before thinking somewhat smugly, _She didn't have a Sasuke or a Sakura._

The villagers began to see the error of their ways each time they saw their Rokudaime in action; from saving dogs from drowning, to barreling into a burning building to rescue infants ((A/N: I had to do it; any of you who find that ironic...XP to you.)). He scared the shit out of Konoha in general when he did crazy crap like that, because they had began to see him as their leader, their beloved cheif--he was their Hokage. The compassion in his eyes, the sincere love, when he gazed out over his Village...

Arashi and Naruto became a common sight in the village; they both couldn't seem to get enough of one another, so alike in so many ways. This isn't to say they left Iruka out, either; when Naruto had 'duties' to perform as Hokage, Arashi would drag Iruka around Konoha, the former reminding the latter so much of Naruto he couldn't help but laugh every now and again.

Jiraiya and Kakashi watched over Naruto still, from the background. When no one else was looking, he would usually turn in his chair and glance behind him, they would usually appear then, and give him whatever advice he needed. It was a simple teacher-student thing.

However...

Jiraiya had indeed found a way to reverse the jutsu placed upon them, and Sakura and Sasuke reverted back to normal as quickly as they'd changed in the first place; for Naruto, however, the animal jutsu had somehow bonded with the Kyuubi's animalistic chakra, and, thus, with Naruto.

Not that he stayed a fox; it was just during times of emotional instability that ears and a tail would suddenly come into existence, ears flattened back against his head if he were enraged, lowered to either side of his face if he were saddened, so on and so forth.

He and Hinata got together soon after; they went out together often, and as time passed, their relationship grew stronger and stronger. It would be no surprise to anyone in Konoha at all when the two of them announced their wedding date.

But the story's getting ahead of itself.

In any case...

Life evened out, as it usually does, and while happy endings seldom occur, one did in this case.

Even for the demon child.

And what a story his would be.

_owari_

**I hope you enjoyed this story: it was really fun writing it, and the epilogue **_**was**_** choppy and super-hard to understand and comprehend, but still...**

**Please don't hate me if you don't like it. -**.**-**


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